All hair coloring is damaging
to your hair, but not necessarily bad.
Doing nothing and not taking care of your hair
is
worse.In fact,
if you have long hair, most of your ends are already damaged from
various environmental factors and routines.(e.g. sun, dry air, brushing, tying, tangling, washing, wet hair
etc.)

So, if you want hair color, the question to ask
isn’t ‘how
do I get hair color without damage?’, it should be
‘how do
I get the color I want while avoiding or minimizing damage?’

So how do I get the color I want while
avoiding or minimizing damage?

To answer this question,
you need to know a little about how hair coloring works.

HOW HAIR COLORING WORKS

Hair is made of protein called Keratin in shingle-like
structures named cuticles. And like
shingles on a rooftop, it protects the structure below from weather and
external contaminants including color, stains, or other pigments.

So, to get hair colored, color can be either (A) painted / coated on the outside temporally; (B) get inserted /
deposited
below the cuticles with the help of a
chemical
Developer, which softens the cuticles and opens the shingle-like
structures, so that color pigments become part of the hair permanently; or
(C) a varying degree of both.

Since Temporary or
Semi-permanent color is only coated on the exterior of the hair
cuticle it does not require a Developer and tends to be gentler to the hair,
but partly washes away with each shampoo.
Demi-permanent, to a degree, and Permanent color needs to
be deposited inside the cuticle with a Developer, hence damaging to the
structure of the hair, but lasts longer.

TYPE OF HAIR COLORING PRODUCTS

Temporary
Color: Covers the hair in liquid or powder form.
Intended to be used for a single event use. Washes out in one or few
washes.

Semi-permanent: Coats the hair with pigmentation with a
developer that lasts a few weeks to a few months. Begins vivid, but
fades over time. Good for short periods, non-permanent, and less
damaging results.

Demi-permanent: Coats and deposits (usually with a
peroxide based Developer) to give a few months of results. Tone fades
over time, but is more effective than Permanent for porous / damaged
hair. Great for toning highlighted or bleached hair.

Permanent:
Deposits (usually with an ammonia based Developer) inside the cuticle to
give a permanent result. However, color may fade or wash out easier than
Demi-permanent with porous / damaged hair with open cuticles.

BLEACHING, LIGHTENING, LIFTING, AND DE-COLORING

Bleaching, lightening, lifting, and de-coloring is the
opposite of coloring in that the purpose of the process is to remove or
strip out the color pigments that are currently existing on or in the hair,
be it natural or previously colored.Like
permanent coloring, this process requires opening of the cuticles
to remove the color pigments from the core of the hair; hence,
it’s very
damaging to the structure of the hair.

However, if you’re wanting to go much lighter, blonde,
or go to an ash / cooler tone, there is no way around it than to bleach,
lighten, or de-color.

COLOR FORMULATION

Getting the
hair color that you want isn’t as simple as applying that color and getting
the result.Most hair is already
pigmented naturally with a blend of pigments that mix with the color being
applied to create a different color / shade.So, to create the color result that you want, one must know what
pigments are already in the hair shaft, as well as how much, and understand
how the new color being applied will behave and react to create the
resulting color.Sometimes
certain
color pigments need to be offset, enhanced, or even removed
because the result cannot be achieved with any formulation with the
existing pigments.

Remember in grade school when all colors got mixed on
the paint pallet or in the rinsing bowl everything turns dark gray brown,
not the vivid primary colors that it was before.Hence base color preparation, new color formulation, understanding
the hair as a medium, and understanding how the specific color product and
pigments work, is critical in getting the exact color result
that you desire.

GLOSSING, GLAZING, AND KERATIN

Opposite to
the Developer which opens the cuticle for color pigment depositing, the
purpose of
glossing, glazing, and keratin is to seal up the cuticle so the
hair becomes less porous and thus shinier and healthier looking and feeling
as a post permanent coloring application.
Glossing products are usually semi- or demi-permanent products
that partly deposit into the cuticles to help seal in the pigments and the
cuticles, and can last from weeks to over a month.
It may also be used with color
pigments to tint or tone the hair at the same time.
Glazing
products fall into temporary color category which coats the exterior for the
shine, but lasts only few weeks as it wears off after each wash.Results of glossing and glazing may depend on the existing damage and
porosity of the hair.Keratin
treatments, are similar to temporary in that it is a coating on the exterior
layer; however, are different in that its usually heat activated and
chemically bound to the hair structure for a lasting result, up to few
months.It may also partially
smooth or straighten any existing texture or curls, but fade out any color
during the heating process.

COLORING
DESIGNS, STYLES AND TECHNIQUES

Same color can look tacky and cheap, or luxurious and
attractive depending on the design, dimension, and tone.It’s this finer difference of hair designing using different
color
application techniques with tone and shade blendingthatmakes hair color seem more natural,
dimensional, and attractive.Flat single solid color and blonde bleached-out look of highlights on
top of highlights is not in fashion.As with the general publics’ acquired taste for fine wine, cheese,
and chocolate, with the advent of social media, people have come to expect
hair color designs (e.g. sun-kissed balayage, soft
subtle ombré, micro- babylights,
etc.) that not only look like the stars, but beautiful when its freshly
colored to looking natural until the day they are up for their next color
touch up.Hence, hair colorists
spend years mastering application techniques, and make it their full-time
job to learn and keep up with the latest design trends.

So how do I get the color I want while
avoiding or minimizing damage?

Know the current condition of your hair

Minimize lightening and developer use for the
desired color result

Treat it to seal the cuticle and protect the hair
structure

Knowing the current
condition of your hair and the limits to what can be done to
it is the first step in minimizing the damage. For example, the condition
of your hair may limit whether you can go from a dark brunette to a blonde
in one appointment, require multiple appointments in phases, or not at all
without risking breakage.

Minimizing lightening or developer use
will depend on how bright you need to get to, desired color and tone (more
lightening is required for cooler colors and tones), and whether you choose
to go a certain color in one process, one appointment, or over multiple
processes and appointments. If you’ve got healthy hair and want to do a
fashion color for one-time only, it may be ok to use a stronger developer if
needed. However, if you’re wanting that multi-dimensional balayage, doing it
over multiple appointments will result in a better outcome, less damage, and
lower cost.

Treating the hair with a post cuticle
sealant like glossing, glazing, or keratin may improve the
effects of damage to a point where it tangles less, looks shiner, and feels
silkier than your natural condition. Hence, its not necessarily eliminating
damage, but treating it to look, feel and seem like less or no damage, and
in some cases healthier.

For a customized hair color and design with reduced damage, make an
appointment to see one of our experts who can guide you to a healthier
color.

Emily J's team is comprised of top international master hair stylists, makeup artists, and estheticians. Each and every one of the servicing professionals are trained in the finest techniques and recognized as leaders in their disciplines. Just observe and you'll see the difference in how Emily J's stylists cut and feel the difference in how Emily J's estheticians treat.